Named executive director in 2019, Michelle Yanche has spent 30 years working her way up the ladder at the youth and family development organization Good Shepherd Services. At one of the largest nonprofits serving youth and families in New York City, Yanche oversees the expansion and implementation of their 90 programs, directly impacting over 30,000 individuals and families. In August, GSS hosted its third annual book bag giveaway, aiming to ease costs for 100 children this school year amid concerns about inflation.

But one day in late August, Next STEPS providers said they received an 8 p.m. email from the probation department advising that their contracts had been canceled and they had five working days to end the program. In a letter to Department of Probation commissioner Juanita Holmes, they said they were “astonished.” “My initial reaction was shock,” said Peleya Patterson, a Next STEPS provider at Good Shepherd Services. Click image to read more.

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